The following news item is courtesy of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU):
The 9th edition of Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) will be held in Bulgaria, close to the capital city of Sofia. The Bulgarian Federation of Radioamateurs (BFRA) will be hosting the event, which will take place from August 11 to 17.
The call sign for the event will be LZ19YOTA. QSL via the bureau to LZ1BJ.
In this YOTA Camp we will be continuing with our train-the-trainer (TTT) program, which will be the main theme of the week. Participants will be working on the future of Amateur Radio and will be involved in workshops where they gain skills to start similar Amateur Radio youth events when they are back home. With this we are aiming to create a snowball effect, there will be more and more YOTA events all over the world. This also allows other youngsters and newcomers to enjoy Amateur Radio.
In addition to the train-the-trainer program, there will be time to enjoy Amateur Radio as well, think about visiting LZ9W, kit-building or visiting the factory of ACOM. We will be enjoying Bulgaria and get the opportunity to see a part of the beautiful country. Since there are many nationalities visiting the event, there will cultural elements in the event. One of them will be the intercultural evening, where all participants bring foods and drinks from their home country.
Previous events have shown that all participants are having an unforgettable week, where many new friendships are started. To obtain a better understanding of such an event you are encouraged to have a look at the gallery and video clips from previous YOTA camps at www.ham-yota.com.
Participants:
Each IARU R1 member society is invited to take part with a team, of maximum 5 persons. The final team size will be dependent on the number of total applications. A team consist of a team leader and team members. We request member societies to select motivated youngsters with an organizational and hands-on mindset. This request requires a commitment from member societies to support these youngsters when they return home after the event.
Team leader:
Age 18-30 years, since we are highly focusing on a train-the-trainer program, it is preferred to select a youth coordinator or person who is eager to organize Amateur Radio youth events.
A person that already attended to a previous YOTA Camp is preferable.
Team member:
- Age 15-25 years
- Have not been on previous YOTA summer camps
If a member society has a valid reason to select a participant who has been to a previous YOTA event, the IARU R1 Youth WG needs to be aware of this and will make the final decision.
All participants, including team leaders, should take part in the entire program.
Deadline for application: February 1
Should your member society be interested to participate, please respond by filling in the form (https://goo.gl/forms/EzejaqnTiTAYvht83) before February 1, 2019. Remember, there is a limit of 80 participants. Make sure that you apply in time. We will announce the participating countries, including number of team members, shortly after the deadline date.
For additional information please visit the YOTA 2019 website at:
https://iaru-r1.org/index.php/general/1829-call-for-application-youngsters-on-the-air-bulgaria-2019